Hey 4castclr,

You are right, RNE holders can't fly commercially. When typing I confused them with Naturalized Brazilians who are allowed.

If a person has their RNE (Brazilian green card) then the next step to citizenship is an easy one. Of course, nothing can beat the fastest route: Marry a Brazilian.

I know of a few guys who did and today are sitting pretty down there as Brazilian citizens enjoying full privileges as Brazilians.

So to correct: To fly in Brazil you have to be a Brazilian citizen, although you can be a naturalized Brazilian citizen. You don't have to have been born in Brazil.

This is of course just the basic requirement to set in motion the process of converting your licences from FAA/JAA to Brazil's national aviation agency ANAC. That process I hear takes typically 2 to 6 months.